| Penn Colony meets for 90th Consecutive Year in 2011 |
| Ninety-four descendants of the fourteen Pennsylvania Dutch families who settled at Dawson in the 1870’s and 80’s met for the 90th consecutive year August 13 and 14 at Dawson and Humboldt. The event attracted relatives from eleven states. The group met in 1922, at the Jacob S. Heim home. [They first met in 1914, but the current streak did not begin until eight years later.] They continued to meet at homes and in shady groves in the Dawson area until recent years, when their descendants sought relief in the air-conditioned Ag building in nearby Humboldt. A picnic dinner was catered at Humboldt by the Wooden Spoon Sunday noon, followed by a dessert bar of old family favorites. After a short business meeting at which the drive to build a meeting/display building at the group’s museum at Dawson was discussed, attendees viewed displays featuring the Nelson Ulmer and Howard Heim families, renewed acquaintances, and toured the museum at Dawson. Fern Heim of Lincoln was the oldest member present at 95, while Sophie Callaway of Lincoln was the youngest at 3. Neal and Shirley Pierce of Salem, Oregon came the longest distance. The traditional watermelon feed at the Henry Heim house Saturday night attracted 57 members and friends, and a large number attended the memorial service held in connection with the worship service at the Christian Church in Humboldt Sunday morning. The memorial moment was given by Jean Heim Feitshans of Perry, Georgia, daughter of Howard Heim and great granddaughter of the original settlers, Jacob G. and Regina Heim. Updated December 24th, 2011 |